Vessel wall MRI in giant cell arteritis: standardized protocol and scoring approach developed by an international working group.

Objectives: There are an increasing number of centers performing research on high-resolution vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging (VW-MRI) in giant cell arteritis (GCA). However, harmonized approaches to VW-MRI in GCA are lacking and are essential to performing multicentre studies. Using a data-driven, consensus-based approach, an international expert group developed a standardized MRI protocol and scoring system to advance multi-centered research in cranial GCA.

Glucocorticoid Minimization in Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis: An International Survey of Clinicians.

Rationale & Objective: Research in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV) has focused on reducing treatment toxicities, notably through reduction of exposure to glucocorticoids. Glucocorticoid-sparing therapies such as avacopan are not widely available in many countries, and patients are exposed to high glucocorticoid doses. There is little data concerning what clinicians should accept as the lowest glucocorticoid dosing that can be used in induction therapy for AAV.

Phase-Specific Healthcare Costs Associated With Giant Cell Arteritis in Ontario, Canada.

Objective: To estimate the additional healthcare system costs associated with giant cell arteritis (GCA) in the 1-year prediagnosis and postdiagnosis periods and over long-term follow-up compared to individuals with similar demographics and comorbidities without GCA.

Methods: We performed a population-based study using health administrative data. Newly diagnosed cases of GCA (between 2002 and 2017 and aged ≥ 66 years) were identified using a validated algorithm and matched 1:6 to comparators using propensity scores.

Risk of Relapse of Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Plasma Exchange and Glucocorticoids.

Objective: Relapses of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis are important events that can cause organ dysfunction and reduce quality of life. Understanding the effects of the initial treatments for ANCA-associated vasculitis on the subsequent risk of relapse may help guide monitoring and treatment.

Methods: We performed a post hoc analysis of participants with severe ANCA-associated vasculitis enrolled in an international two-by-two factorial randomized controlled trial comparing the effects of plasma exchange (PLEX) to no PLEX and a regimen of reduced glucocorticoid exposure to a standard regimen.

Current and future advances in practice: a practical approach to the diagnosis and management of primary central nervous system vasculitis.

Primary CNS vasculitis (CNSV) is a rare, idiopathic autoimmune disease that, if untreated, can cause significant morbidity and mortality. It is a challenging diagnosis due to multiple mimics that can be difficult to differentiate, given that the CNS is an immunologically privileged and structurally isolated space. As such, diagnosis requires comprehensive multimodal investigations.

Effect of pregnancy on scleroderma progression.

Objective: To explore the trajectory of scleroderma disease activity in women who experienced a pregnancy after systemic sclerosis diagnosis compared to nulliparous women.

Methods: We analyzed data from the Canadian Scleroderma Research Group registry by identifying nulliparous women and women with ⩾1 pregnancy after systemic sclerosis diagnosis. Patient characteristics were compared between groups at registry entry.

Hospitalised COVID-19 outcomes are predicted by hypoxaemia and pneumonia phenotype irrespective of the timing of their emergence.

Unlabelled: Despite the known clinical importance of hypoxemia and pneumonia, there is a paucity of evidence for these variables with respect to risk of mortality and short-term outcomes among those hospitalised with COVID-19.

Objective: Describe the prevalence and clinical course of patients hospitalised with COVID-19 based on oxygenation and pneumonia status at presentation and determine the incidence of emergent hypoxaemia or radiographic pneumonia during admission.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using a Canadian regional registry.

Ocular manifestations of ANCA-associated vasculitis.

Objectives: ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) is a group of multisystem diseases that can have several ocular manifestations. There are published data on ocular manifestations of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), but few for eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) or microscopic polyangiitis (MPA). There is little information concerning chronicity, complications, and association with other cranial manifestations of AAV.

Added diagnostic yield of temporal artery magnetic resonance angiography in the evaluation of giant cell arteritis.

Objectives: Temporal artery magnetic resonance angiography (TAMRA) is a useful tool to investigate possible diagnoses of GCA. As acquired images also reveal other local structures, they may assist in finding alternative diagnoses when assessing for possible GCA. We sought to assess the utility of TAMRA in identifying other significant abnormalities either associated with a diagnosis of GCA or potentially mimicking a clinical presentation of GCA.

The predictive utility of functional status at discharge: a population-level cohort analysis.

Background: Functional status is a patient-important, patient-centered measurement. The utility of functional status measures to inform post-discharge patient needs is unknown. We sought to examine the utility of routinely collected functional status measures gathered from older hospitalized patients to predict a panel of post-discharge outcomes.

Functional recovery following hospitalisation of patients diagnosed with COVID-19: a protocol for a longitudinal cohort study.

Introduction: COVID-19 is an international public health crisis with more than 132 million infections worldwide. Beyond acute infection, emerging data indicate patients diagnosed with COVID-19 may experience persistent sequelae similar to survivors of sepsis or acute respiratory syndromes, including mobility limitations and fatigue. However, there is limited evidence on the trajectory of functional recovery in those hospitalised with COVID-19.

Correction: Associations between continuity of primary and specialty physician care and use of hospital-based care among community-dwelling older adults with complex care needs.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Value of second opinion subspecialty radiology consultation in suspected abdominal medium vessel vasculitis.

Purpose: To perform a descriptive analysis of individuals with suspected Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) referred for second opinion imaging consultation.

Methods: A retrospective observational cohort study was performed at a single institution. A consecutive sample was performed of individuals who underwent a second opinion CT or MR angiography subspecialty radiologist consultation between January 2008 and September 2019 for suspected abdominal medium vessel vasculitis.

External validation of the 4C mortality score among COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital in Ontario, Canada: a retrospective study.

Risk prediction scores are important tools to support clinical decision-making for patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The objective of this paper was to validate the 4C mortality score, originally developed in the United Kingdom, for a Canadian population, and to examine its performance over time. We conducted an external validation study within a registry of COVID-19 positive hospital admissions in the Kitchener-Waterloo and Hamilton regions of southern Ontario between March 4, 2020 and June 13, 2021.

Incidence and Outcomes of Acute Kidney Injury in Patients Admitted to Hospital With COVID-19: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: The incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with COVID-19 and its association with mortality and disease severity is understudied in the Canadian population.

Objective: To determine the incidence of AKI in a cohort of patients with COVID-19 admitted to medicine and intensive care unit (ICU) wards, its association with in-hospital mortality, and disease severity. Our aim was to stratify these outcomes by out-of-hospital AKI and in-hospital AKI.

Contextualizing temporal arterial magnetic resonance angiography in the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis: a retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: Imaging modalities have become common in evaluating patients for a possible diagnosis of GCA. This study seeks to contextualize how temporal arterial magnetic resonance angiography (TA-MRA) can be used in facilitating the diagnosis of GCA.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed on patients who had been previously referred to a rheumatologist for evaluation of possible GCA in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Supporting effective participation in health guideline development groups: The Guideline Participant Tool.

Objectives: Health guidelines are a key knowledge translation tool produced and used by numerous stakeholders worldwide. Effective participation in guideline development groups or development groups is crucial for guideline success, yet little guidance exists for members of these groups. In this study, we present the Guideline Participant Tool (GPT) to support effective participation in guideline groups, in particular those using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

Associations between continuity of primary and specialty physician care and use of hospital-based care among community-dwelling older adults with complex care needs.

Objective: While research suggests that higher continuity of primary and specialty physician care can improve patient outcomes, their effects have rarely been examined and compared concurrently. We investigated associations between continuity of primary and specialty physician care and emergency department visits and hospital admissions among community-dwelling older adults with complex care needs.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of home care patients in Ontario, Canada, from October 2014 to September 2016.

Ventilation Techniques and Risk for Transmission of Coronavirus Disease, Including COVID-19: A Living Systematic Review of Multiple Streams of Evidence.

Background: Mechanical ventilation is used to treat respiratory failure in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Purpose: To review multiple streams of evidence regarding the benefits and harms of ventilation techniques for coronavirus infections, including that causing COVID-19.

Data Sources: 21 standard, World Health Organization-specific and COVID-19-specific databases, without language restrictions, until 1 May 2020.

Guidelines for the Management of Adult Acute and Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure in the ICU: Cardiovascular, Endocrine, Hematologic, Pulmonary, and Renal Considerations.

Objectives: To develop evidence-based recommendations for clinicians caring for adults with acute or acute on chronic liver failure in the ICU.

Design: The guideline panel comprised 29 members with expertise in aspects of care of the critically ill patient with liver failure and/or methodology. The Society of Critical Care Medicine standard operating procedures manual and conflict-of-interest policy were followed throughout.